Lex Legis
by ookami123
Summary: AU. Being a lawyer isn't easy these days. Neither is working with the guy you've had a crush on since you were nine years old. Bring the two together?...Oh dear. VH.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Don't own Escaflowne. Never will. End of.**

**A/N: Hey guys. As you've probably noticed, this is not the latest chapter of _Close Your Eyes_, but please believe me when I say that I'm absolutely in no way giving up on it, so please persevere and the latest chapter should be out soon!**

**As for this rather surprising creation, it's an AU, on Earth actually, and the idea struck me literally when I got out of bed this morning and nagged at me incessantly until i'd managed to churn out a chapter of it. It's all still filled with VH goodness, don't you worry about that, and this one will no doubt be a little more racy in areas if i'm feeling daring enough. **

**It was strange writing it, strange in a good way of course, but i'm very concious of the fact that it's...well, just different. I don't know if you'll like it. God, I don't even know if _I _like it...**

**But anyway, the title means "Law" in Latin, becauseVan and Hitomi (as well as other characters) are lawyers here, since lawyers are obviously endless fun... :\**

**I seriously hope you enjoy this, but will not be surprised or in any way offended if you don't. **

**So yea...Enjoy! **

**...Hopefully :P  
**

* * *

"Shutup and eat your sandwich." 

"Why don't you shutup and eat yours?"

Hitomi frowned.

With direct and exaggerated precision, she forked up several lettuce leaves, green beans and olives from the small, transparent, salad-filled box in front of her.

"Firstly," She skewered a slice of egg, "I'm not _eating _a sandwich; this is a salad niçoise."

Van rolled his eyes and smiled as he reached for the bottle of coke they were sharing.

"And secondly," Bringing the fork to her awaiting lips, she noted his roguish grin, "_You're_ the one who seems incapable of holding a conversation that isn't related to work."

She watched one ebony brow arch in surprise opposite her, and attempted to chew the ridiculously large amount of food she'd just piled into her mouth in order to make a point.

Putting down the bottle of coke, Van leant back on the sofa, his smile widening despite her words. After a moment of regarding her silently, he tutted.

"You put too much food in your mouth, didn't you?"

Hitomi blinked and stopped chewing for a second, and would have sighed exasperatedly, had her mouth not been overflowing with salad; instead she just ignored him, reaching for the bottle in the middle of the table.

Van let out a low chuckle, "Was making your point really worth the discomfort, Miss Kanzaki?"

Swallowing a rather disgusting mixture of coca-cola and semi-chewed salad, Hitomi nodded.

"Oh, definitely." She managed eventually, smiling herself as she looked up at his amused expression.

_A year today. _

His grin slowly diminished as their gazes locked.

_One year ago. Today. _

And now, now they were just staring at each other, because she wasn't smiling anymore either.

_Does he even remember?_

Hitomi swallowed thickly, and the bitter aftertaste of the disgusting concoction she'd downed a few moments before made her want to wretch. Van must have noticed the slight wrinkling of her nose, because he appeared to snap out of whatever it was he'd slipped into, and stood up abruptly.

"I'll get you some water." He said quickly, wiping his crumb-covered fingers on the trousers of his _Armani_ suit before setting off in the direction of the water cooler.

Hitomi sighed quietly as she watched him walk to the other side of his enormous office, wondering how on earth someone who passively wiped things on _Armani_ suits could be a partner in such a successful and renowned law firm.

_Fanel __& Fassa_ was known throughout the country as one of the best now, and charging seven hundred dollars an hour at the very least, you would expect them to be. Van's grandfather had founded the firm several decades ago with a friend and associate, and thus, the unwritten Fanel family rule that all male children who followed would undoubtedly work there, lawyer or no, was created. Indeed, it was a long-running family in-joke that Van's cousin, Chid, was head of catering in the very same building.

"I'll have to shoot off in a few minutes," Hitomi looked down at her watch, noting the full three hours she had to kill before the scheduled meeting she had with a senior partner. She worked at a fairly idiotically located, much smaller law firm down the street, _Dornkirk_, which survived simply by taking on clients who couldn't afford _F & F's _extortionate fees. She didn't know how well it was doing to be honest, but from the endless clientele who were always coming into the rather dilapidated office building, she figured it must be surviving well enough.

Van returned to where she sat in the plush armchair, the cup in his hand almost overflowing due to his lack of concentration whilst pouring its contents. Still pretending to look at her watch, Hitomi thrust her hand out towards him expectantly. She didn't see the lopsided smile he gave her as he handed her the ice-cold water.

"Thanks."

She put it on the table before reaching into the decaying suitcase at her feet.

Van crossed his arms, unimpressed. "Well aren't you going to drink it?"

"I'll drink it in a minute, let me check my diary."

"I'm sure you have an opening for it, Hitomi."

"You'd be surprised," She joked quietly, looking up at him briefly before turning her head back to the creased pages of the notebook, "No, something's just struck me, that's all."

Van looked at his watch nonchalantly, "And that would be…?"

"Well…I have a meeting with a client today, and I was just…" Her finger stopped its path down the small page at the line labelled _'4 o'clock:-'_. She looked up, her brow creased in confusion. "How odd…"

"What's odd?"

Hitomi closed the diary, "Why has he arranged to see me when he knows I have a client at that time?"

"Who?"

"Dornkirk; big boss man." She tucked the diary back into the ancient bag and hefted it onto the glass table, narrowly missing her half-eaten salad.

Van ran a hand through his thick, dark hair. "He probably just didn't realise, I wouldn't w—"

"No, that's not like him. He's organised to an infuriating degree." Hitomi pulled her mobile out of the bag and scanned the screen hastily, "And he hasn't called or emailed either…"

She sighed before flipping the phone shut and resting her chin on its end pensively.

"I should go," She said after a silent moment, "I should really, really go."

Standing up before Van could make any sort of comment, Hitomi grabbed her case and made a move to leave.

"Man, do you know how many things I had to re-schedule to carve out this hour today?"

Hitomi turned to him, "I never asked you to, Van."

With the top two buttons of his crisp white shirt undone, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his jet black hair in a state of mild, endearing disarray, you wouldn't imagine Van Fanel as a serious and powerful lawyer. No, you wouldn't. See, he had that whole, "I'm laid back and easy-going, funny, attractive and obviously great in bed." thing going on; but underneath all that, what you didn't see unless you were the witness, the defense, the accusing or the jury, was a deadly, "Don't fuck with me." attitude that seemed to appear when necessary in the blink of an eye, and disappear just as swiftly.

He was a great lawyer, that much Hitomi knew, and intelligent in an admirable and infuriating sort of way. He'd never lost a case, to her knowledge, and was one of those people it was pointless to argue with.

God knows she knew that.

Van held her eyes intently with his own, dark, chocolate ones.

"Can't a friend see a friend on their birthday, Hitomi?" He asked after a moment, his voice low and surprisingly hushed.

Hitomi blinked, taken aback by the sudden change in tone, and looked sheepishly down at the worn out tips of her best black, pointed stilettos. They seemed to contrast quite beautifully with the off-white carpet, or atleast would have, had they been new and equally as expensive.

Van's question rang in her head, filling the silent room around her, mocking her with its gentle and unassuming words. She hated the way he'd phrased it, even though it had been a perfectly correct and…logical thing to ask.

Yes, a friend _could _see a friend on their birthday…but…

Oh god, she was making such a huge deal out of this. Who was she kidding, it had been fantastic seeing Van again after weeks of hearing nothing; she'd had a great time talking with him, catching up and laughing with him. It had made her feel all…nostalgic. Whether or not that was a good thing, she couldn't say.

_Just be cool. _

_Be blasé!_

"I guess." She managed as nonchalantly as she could, looking up at him and adding a shrug for effect.

_Nicely done._

She could have sworn a look of mild bemusement passed over his features before he flashed her that achingly familiar, wicked grin.

"Good." He closed the space between them, his smile unwavering, his gaze steady, "Well then, don't you think a friend should take a friend out to dinner on their birthday too?"

Hitomi swallowed as he stopped rather too close to her.

"I..."

_Blasé…? _ The pathetic voice rang inside her head.

Ok, so he obviously _did _remember what had happened this time last year.

How _much _he remembered though, was a different matter.

And so Hitomi was probably right in thinking she was the only one who recalled it as vividly as if it had been the night before.

God, it would be impossible to forget the way his lips had felt on her, and his hands, and…

"You what?"

Hitomi blinked.

Since when had this room gotten so hot?

_Snap out of it. _

_Blasé!_

"I uh…I'm busy actually," She lied quickly, inching back from him and towards the door, "Yea, my…my brother's taking me out to some fancy restaurant he probably can't afford, so…looks like I'm…uh..."

"Busy."

"Yes, busy."

"I thought Mamoru was in China this month."

_Shit!_

"Oh…he…he came back!"

"He came back?" Van crossed his arms and raised an apprehensive eyebrow, "From China?"

Hitomi cursed inwardly. God she was stupid when she was under pressure – not a particularly admirable trait in a lawyer.

"Y-Yea…yea I guess he did." She laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head as she pondered how on earth she was going to explain how, why and when her brother had done so.

Van bit his lip for a moment as he regarded her uneasy smile. His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Right…" He said after a few long seconds.

Hitomi opened her mouth to convince him further when she saw the edge of his own twitch in amusement, but was abruptly silenced by a long finger upon her slightly parted lips and a soft "Sh."

_Oh dear._

The contact drove her subconscious mind into overdrive.

She shivered.

"Next time, Hitomi," He moved forward before she could blink, dipping his head by her ear so she felt his warm breath reach the tiny, sensitive hairs on the back of her neck, "just say 'no'."

Her eyes widened, "Bu—"

He moved back, smile widening, "Happy Birthday, kid."

His finger left her lips and squashed the end of her nose lightly.

Hitomi scowled, "I'm _one_ year younger than you!"

_Moment successfully ruined. _

"Exactly." He tapped the underside of her chin playfully before leaving her personal space very empty and surprisingly cold. She watched him in a sort of…trance as he walked away.

"I thought you were leaving." He said with his back to her, shuffling various papers about on his huge desk.

Hitomi swiftly snapped back to reality.

"Already gone." She turned to the large mahogany door.

"Say 'Hi' to Mamoru for me."

Hitomi smiled as she turned the handle.

"Right."

His soft, sensuous chuckle rang in her ears for the next hour.

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"F-Fired?!"

Charles Dornkirk downed the rest of his coffee in one very audible gulp, and only after placing the mug on the table carefully and straightening the pile of papers next to it did he look up at her, his face showing some kind of semi-compassionate expression.

"I think the term 'Letting go' is kinder, don't you?"

Hitomi frowned.

"I think it would be _kinder _if you actually gave me an explanation, Charles."

Dornkirk's bushy grey eyebrows drew together pensively, and he reached for his cup of coffee again, realising it empty only when he attempted to take a sip.

"Oh." He looked perplexedly into the vacant mug before looking perplexedly up at Hitomi, "Would you be a dear and get me…"

Noting her expression of outrage, he stopped and cleared his throat.

"…never mind."

The years had most certainly not been kind to poor Charles Dornkirk, physically amongst other things. He looked about seventy when he couldn't have been a day older than fifty five, and his mind…well, it wasn't the great one it used to be all those years ago. In fact, it seemed nowadays he was becoming a bit of a joke in lawyer circles; a "has-been" and an infinite source of comedy to those pretentious big-shots whose houses were filled with hundreds of gadgets they really had no idea how to use. Those emotionless suits, whose lives revolved around their next pay-check or promotion.

The type of people she couldn't stand.

The type of people Van associated with every day of his life.

_Stop thinking about him you idiot. _

"To cut a long story short, lay-offs are the only solution to the budget problems we've stumbled upon recently." The aging man seemed rather distracted, searching his jacket pockets unsubtly for what Hitomi assumed to be a cigarette packet.

Sitting down in the chair opposite him, Hitomi sighed and leant her head back on the tattered leather, closing her eyes, "So who else is out?"

Dornkirk halted mid-pat. He looked at her for a moment and opened his mouth before promptly closing it again.

"Well, presently it's uh…" He coughed, leaning forward to clasp his hands together in the centre of his immaculate desk. After a few seconds, he inhaled deeply.

"Well it's…it's just you really."

Hitomi's head snapped up.

"Why?!"

Dornkirk sighed, "Well, to put it bluntly Hitomi…you're losing your touch. Your last four cases—"

"Hey," She started defensively, "I was up against an _F & F_ client every single time, and these lawyers they get are just…they're—"

"Tough?"

"No, they're—"

"Wise?"

"No! They're just—"

"Cleverer than you?"

"Charles, they're not human!" Hitomi stood up angrily, running a hand through her unkempt, boyish hair, "These people are just…_robots_ trained in the art of…of—"

"Law?"

"Stop that!" She shouted to him, "And it's not law! How can it be classed as justice when they're lying and sending innocent people to prison!"

A bird landed on the window ledge next to her, obviously unperturbed by the noise emanating from the room. She glanced towards it irritably, and stared angrily into its beady black eyes for a moment before it turned away and ruffled its snowy plumage. She let out a mental, bitter laugh at the fact that even a bird wasn't interested in what she had to offer, and looked back to the man who was, essentially, ruining her life.

Dornkirk frowned, and the action made the lines in his face stand out as if they'd been drawn on by a restless child. Steepling his hands, he rested his chin on his slim fingers.

"Hitomi," He said gently, "you must remember this is what you signed up for."

Letting out a heavy breath, she crossed her arms in a faintly immature way.

"Yes, but I signed up to beat them, Charles."

Hitomi heard the bird fly away.

Dornkirk rose unsteadily from his chair and hobbled over to where she stood a few metres away.

"And you will," He put a skinny hand on her shoulder, reminding her of a rather clichéd grandfather, "but you can't expect to best them until you can think like them, and it's the same with any one of us."

Throwing her hands up in exasperation, Hitomi rolled her eyes at the old man, "And how on earth am I supposed to manage that?!"

To her surprise, Dornkirk merely smiled as he reached for her hand to shake it.

"You'll find a way."

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It was quite simple really.

Quite straightforward to press the call button and talk to an old friend on her birthday about her crappy, crappy life.

Yet she had been trying to do so for the past twenty-two and a half minutes now, and had been completely and utterly unsuccessful.

'VAN - MOBILE' stared up at her from the multi-coloured screen she held, and every time she read it, the words made less and less sense to her. In fact, the whole task of phoning him made less and less sense to her with every long minute that dragged past unmercifully.

She was thirty today.

Thirty.

And how was she celebrating?

Well, she wasn't.

What a birthday, huh? Turning down a date with your attractive, sexy, _loaded _family friend because you slept with him exactly a year beforehand and you're scared you'll do it again even though you _want _to do it again…and then getting fired.

_Fan-fucking__-tastic. _

Hitomi sighed, snapping her cell-phone closed and throwing it to the other end of the sofa before reaching for the ice-cream she'd placed on the coffee table in front of her.

_Happy birthday. _

Atleast last year she'd been drunk for most of it.

And then atleast she'd got some—

She almost fell off the couch when the house phone started ringing abruptly.

"Christ!" She put a hand to her heart as she reached for the receiver. Glancing towards the clock, she noted the late hour.

Eleven thirty-two.

Well, late for her anyway.

"Hitomi Kanzaki speaking..." She said automatically, putting the phone to her ear as she somehow managed to open the ice-cream.

"Hey you," The rich, deep voice made her breath catch, "Mamoru decided to go back to China yet?"

Hitomi let go of the ice-cream and smiled.

_Van._

"Yea," She grinned, "It um…it turns out he didn't want to take me out after all. I told you he couldn't afford it."

"Hm," Came the warm, amused voice again, "How inconsiderate of him."

"I thought so."

A companionable silence settled between them for a few seconds before he spoke again.

"So I take it you're free tonight then?"

Hitomi bit her lip.

_Am I? _

"Well…"

"Well…?"

"Well technically yes, but…"

"Good. I'll pick you up in twenty minutes then."

"What?! Van—"

"Dress up—"

"Van—!"

"I'm thinking something leggy, maybe red?"

"You're—"

"Twenty minutes!"

And then she heard the dial tone.

…

_He's joking…_

She looked up at the clock.

Eleven thirty-four.

…_right?_

* * *

**You know, I honestly don't know why I do this to myself lol **

**Have I ever liked a chapter of anything I've ever written?**

**Probably not.  
**

**Tell me if you think it's worth another. Be honest! **

**Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read! I love you all ridiculous amounts!**_  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Don't own it.**

**A/N: Hello all you lovely people! Thanks very much for your reviews - much appreciated!  
So here's the second chapter, and a long one i'm afraid, because there was a lot to write about - too much I think actually, but oh well.  
**

**Anyway, various things may be a tad confusing to some of you in this chapter, so here we go:**

This writing - Present time

_This writing _- Hitomi's thoughts

_**This writing **_- memories

**Just a small warning that there are some rather erm...coughs steamy parts in this chapter - although obviously nothing that would constitute a higher rating. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_  
_

_Ok…so he wasn't joking. _

Hitomi smiled unconvincingly as Van motioned for her to take a seat opposite him.

The restaurant was quiet, filled only with a few other late diners and their low, inaudible murmurs. Heads were close, fingers were entwined on tables, and eyes were shadowed in unreadable private emotion; the atmosphere was warm, almost too much so. Looking around as she removed her coat, Hitomi noted how the place itself was cosy and almost sensual in décor, with deep, rich coloured walls and gorgeously textured tablecloths, and ambient music that had a low, seductive beat.

"Nice place…" She said quietly, turning back to Van as he took his own chair, "Do you come here often?"

She could tell he did, even without his reply. It seemed that Van fitted this place strangely well actually, with his dark eyes and the passion she knew he concealed in their depths; she knew he loved to touch, to feel…and this place seemed somehow all to do with those, almost forbidden things.

"Not as often as I'd like." He removed his own jacket, looking over to her, and rolled up his shirt sleeves, "Now stop making small talk and tell me what's wrong with you."

Hitomi blinked.

_That was quick._

"What?"

Van glanced at his watch briefly before looking back up at her widened eyes, "Oh come on, Hitomi, I can see straight through your unpractised fake smile."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Hitomi picked up the wine menu and pretended to understand it.

Van raised his eyebrows.

"Well?" He pressed, coolly removing the card from her fingers and scanning it himself.

"Well what?" Hitomi snatched it back.

Van smiled playfully, "Don't snatch."

"Don't presume to tell me there's something wrong with me."

His smile fell.

Hitomi cursed inwardly as he frowned.

"So what, are you just planning to sit there all night and sulk?" He asked, displeased, calling over a waitress silently with a somewhat masterful flick of his hand.

"I'm not sulking!" Hitomi countered defensively, putting down the menu, "How am I sulking?"

"You've barely said a word to me all night - that's how."

Hitomi's brow creased.

"Well—"

"Monsieur Fanel?"

Van looked up at the young woman who'd walked over, completely ignoring Hitomi's indignation and flashing the waitress a devastatingly charming smile.

"A bottle of the _Chateaux Margaux_." He said, handing her the menu.

"Oui monsieur."

The waitress nodded before promptly leaving them, a light blush visible on her cheeks as she walked past.

Van leant back casually on his chair, a fairly satisfied smile lingering on his lips as he hooked an elbow over the backrest. He ran a hand through his hair as he turned to Hitomi again, "Sorry about that; what were you saying?"

Rolling her eyes, Hitomi shook her head helplessly, "Do you even realise the extent to which you flirt shamelessly with absolutely everyone?"

Van grinned in a somewhat roguish manner, looking up at her from beneath his dark lashes, "Does it bother you?"

The familiar words struck her unexpectedly.

Her mind reeled in recognition.

"_**What do you mean, 'does it bother me'?" **_

_**Hitomi grabbed another glass of champagne from a passing waiter, spilling its contents slightly in her haste. **_

_**Van raised an eyebrow.**_

"_**I mean, sure, I'm technically twenty-nine today and I'm technically one year away from thirty, and technically that means I'm a scant ten years away from middle age, also meaning that I'm well on my way to half a century, which is, my dear Mr Fanel, indeed, half of a century, meaning there's only another half to go until I'm—"**_

_**Van pried the glass from her fingers.**_

"_**I think you've had enough." He said gently, putting the champagne flute on the piano Hitomi was currently leaning against, "And I take it from your rather succinct response to my question, that your age does, in fact, bother you." **_

_**Hitomi bit her lip, "Well yes, if we're speaking in literal terms." **_

"_**As opposed to…?"**_

"_**Non-literal ones."**_

"_**Of course."**_

_**She frowned at his amused expression. **_

"_**You do realise that no part of this horrific day is funny." **_

"_**Hitomi, this 'horrific day' is your birthday."**_

"_**Precisely. And I feel like a hag." **_

_**Van sighed in exasperation and shook his head, looking round.**_

_**Even though his sight was swimming a little, he could see that the enormous foyer was almost empty at this point, with only a handful of men and women present, most of whom seemed very close to passing out anyway. The party had been a success actually; very relaxed and ultimately classy up until about one o'clock in the morning, when the amount of champagne ingested had proved a little too much for some. **_

_**Van had rented out a large, picturesque country house for the weekend, solely in celebration of Hitomi's birthday and much to her displeasure, and they had invited every single one of their mutual acquaintances, amounting in total to about twenty people.**_

"_**What's wrong with me?" **_

_**Van turned at her question, his brow furrowing, "Please don't start that again."**_

_**Hitomi looked at the floor.**_

"_**I don't get it."**_

"_**Hitomi, there's noth—"**_

"_**Why am I so unattractive?"**_

_**Van sighed again and crossed his arms, leaning back on the piano with her. **_

"_**What happened?" He asked expectantly, sounding ever so slightly bored. Hitomi sniffed in a rather unladylike fashion, and regarded the wooden floorboards in silence for a few more seconds before answering quietly. **_

"_**Allen hasn't looked at me all evening." **_

"_**Allen is a bastard."**_

_**His reply came, perhaps, a little too quickly.**_

"_**He came over here to say happy birthday, but that was about five hours ago," She continued without invitation, "and he's been with Millerna ever since then, laughing and flirting and having a fantastic time with her."**_

"_**It's alright for some…" Van muttered under his breath.**_

_**Hitomi ignored him, "I just…" **_

_**She swallowed, her eyes glistening.**_

"_**I just don't know what she's got that I h-haven't." **_

_**And the drunken tears began.**_

_**Van frowned and looked over to the blonde pair in the corner of the hall, their eyes trained on one another, their bodies close. He expected to feel a stab of jealousy, perhaps a sting of regret, but found that he felt no such thing upon seeing the way her hand stroked his cheek, or the way she pretended to find whatever he'd just whispered in her ear amusing. Millerna had always treated men as targets, had thought of them as nothing but expense-paying rungs on a social ladder. During the brief period Van had dated her, she had talked about nothing but herself and what she'd wanted out of life, out of her job; out of him. **_

_**She had one layer, and it was transparent. **_

_**And he simply found he didn't envy Allen Schezar at all. **_

_**Which was a first.**_

"_**I mean," Hitomi wiped a reddened eye with the back of her hand as Van's gaze lingered on the couple, "after he joined your stupid firm, he always used to tell me how much he hated her! How furious he was that she'd been chosen as his secretary, how he could never see anything in her!"**_

_**Noting how close the pair in the corner were to…well, a public display of their fondness for one another, Van bit his lip as he turned to Hitomi, obviously realising that her witness to such an action would be fairly catastrophic, to say the least. **_

"_**All he sees in her is the R-rated cut of her dress," He said quickly, grabbing her hand, "Let's go to the bar." **_

_**Hitomi stayed put. **_

"_**Well then maybe I should just dress as a prosti—" She stopped abruptly.**_

_**Her eyes widened. **_

_**Van winced as he followed the line of her vision. **_

_**And indeed, just as he'd suspected, Millerna and Allen seemed unperturbed by the others in the room, and had set about claiming one another's mouths in a rather enthusiastic demonstration. **_

_**He turned his head back to Hitomi sharply as he heard a faint, "I…" escape her slightly parted lips. Her hand fell from his.**_

"_**Hitomi—"**_

"_**Excuse me." **_

_**She left him before he could stop her, walking briskly to the door a few metres away from where they stood.**_

"_**Hitomi, wait!" He called after her, looking hastily from the rather busy couple in the corner to her retreating form. He watched as she brought a hand up to still her quivering lips, pausing after she opened the door. **_

_**And without thinking, he followed her into the hallway. **_

"_**Hitomi—" He grabbed her arm as the door closed behind him. She wrenched it from his grip with a brusque, "Don't", and continued forward, the trail of her long green satin dress dragging on the carpet behind.**_

"_**Just go, Van, and enjoy the party." She said without looking round, "Go and find a pretty girl to kiss." **_

_**Van's eyes narrowed. **_

_**He stepped forward, taking her arm again and turning her to him. Her eyes met his in determined sorrow.**_

"_**Let go of—" **_

"_**What do I have to do to make you see that he doesn't deserve you?!" Van asked heatedly, pulling her closer. **_

_**Hitomi's brow creased, "Don't say things like that." **_

"_**Why not?!" He demanded angrily, "It's true!" **_

"_**Stop it!"**_

_**Van took hold of her shoulders, "Well what do you want then?!" **_

"_**I…"**_

"_**You what?!"**_

"_**It doesn't matter!"**_

"_**Tell me!"**_

_**She snapped.**_

"_**I want someone to kiss me like that!" She shouted without thinking, grasping the front of his shirt. **_

"_**Fine!" His hands slid down to her waist in an instant as he pulled her against him.**_

"_**Fine." She breathed.**_

_**And his lips met hers in a rush. **_

"Well?"

Hitomi blinked several times.

She shook her head slightly and looked over to him, still leaning back casually, still smiling at her, still blissfully unaware as to what it was she was thinking about. Again.

"I uh…what was the question?" She asked, dazed.

"_**We shouldn't be doing this." Van muttered against her lips, turning the light on, closing the door and pushing her up against it as he turned the key in the lock. **_

"_**You should have thought about that in the hallway." **_

_**She smiled at his low chuckle. **_

"I believe I asked if my 'shameless' flirting bothered you."

_**His lips felt amazing on her own; soft and giving. They were warm, like the rest of his body, and tortured her mouth with the deliberate slow and languorous tattoo of their movements. She tasted him, savoured him, took as much of him as he offered to her. **_

_**The kiss was fuelled with need and passion, and an unmistakable thirst for the other after so many years of mutual, unbearable desire. Her hands travelled to his waist, pulling him as closer. She moaned at the contact, relishing the way his body reacted to her own. **_

_**Whether or not this was a mistake, she didn't know. **_

_**To be honest, she didn't even care.**_

Hitomi swallowed.

_Of course it bothers me._

"I…"

_**She gasped as he laid a kiss just beneath her ear, running his hands up her back slowly, reaching for the zipper of her dress.**_

"_**Hitomi…" He breathed against her skin, "This is…after this I don't think I can stop."**_

_**Smiling wickedly against his cheek, she trailed a hand down from behind his neck and undid the first button of his shirt.**_

"_**I don't want you to stop." She whispered, shivering as she heard the slide of the metallic fastening.**_

_**His lips met hers once more, "Thank God." **_

The room suddenly felt so hot that she found she couldn't breathe.

Van's expression shifted to one of concern.

"Are you ok?" He asked, leaning forward.

"N-No…" Hitomi said quietly, avoiding his eyes and putting a hand to her forehead, "No I don't think I am…"

She could see it.

It was all flashing in front of her eyes as clearly as it had been that same night. Her hands were on him, running over his body, through his thick, dark hair. She could hear his breath coming light and fast in her ear, hear the words he whispered brokenly into the night.

It was all coming back.

"Hitomi—"

She wrenched her hand away from his when he touched it, the contact burning her sensitive skin in recognition.

"_**Van…"**_

"What's wrong?"

"_**Please…" **_

She shuddered.

"I-I think maybe this was a mistake," She whispered, not daring to look at him as she pushed back her chair.

"What are you—"

"In fact, you know what, I think I'm going to head off," She stood up, "I'm tired and—"

A hand grabbed her arm as she turned.

_Oh dear._

"You're going to sit down right now." He had risen aswell, and his voice was deadly serious as he held her gaze intently.

Hitomi shut her eyes in displeasure.

"But you don't—"

"Sit. Down."

She looked at him then, and found his own eyes piercing her, their dark depths no longer filled with the laughter that had glistened in them before, but with a seriousness that, frankly, terrified her.

And then she remembered something else.

He hadn't looked at her like that since…

_Since the morning after._

She swallowed and took her seat again, holding his gaze as he did the same. Van regarded her for another long moment, silently taking in her obvious anxiety.

"Tell me." He said simply.

"Tell you what?"

Van raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"Judging by the display you just gave the whole restaurant, I'd guess something's up with your job…" His soft voice halted, "or a guy."

Hitomi opened her mouth in indignation, "That's—"

_Completely true?_

"Don't bullshit me, Hitomi." He interrupted, his tone laced with mild warning, "Don't try my patience; not today."

The light clinking of glasses echoed through the room, along with the deep, hypnotic beat of the music in the background. So much was going on around them, she could feel it in the air, and yet at the same time she felt nothing but embarrassment and foolishness; she heard nothing but the rapid beating of her own heart in her ears.

She looked down uncomfortably.

"Van, I…"

_Just tell him about Dornkirk._

_Come on._

_That's not a lie._

"I got fired."

Van didn't show any reaction.

"What else?"

_What else?!_

Hitomi frowned, "What do you mean 'what else'?!" she asked a little incredulously, "It was my job! My—"

"It _is _a guy, isn't it." He stated passively, leaning an elbow on the table, "What's his name?"

_Van._

"It's not a guy! I'm not that sh—"

"Did he break up with you?"

"It's not a guy!" She whispered viciously, leaning closer to him, "And will you please stop talking so loudly?!"

Van leant in, a corner of his lips twisting wickedly upwards.

"What's his name?" He asked again, his voice having dropped to a rather amusing stage whisper.

Hitomi refused to smile.

"Stop it."

"Was he rude to your mother?"

"Van…" She couldn't help laughing a little.

She hated how easily he could make her laugh.

"Was he disgusted at the amount of ice-cream in your freezer?" His eyes sparkled again, "Did you mention marriage to him? Did he leave the toilet seat up?"

"You're ridiculous—"

"He laughed at your troll collection, didn't he."

"I don't even _have_ a troll collection!"

Neither of them noticed the waitress return, and the young woman had to cough before asking permission to pour the wine.

And as they waited in silence for her to finish, Hitomi suddenly realised how the tension had somehow magically disappeared from between them in mere seconds, and how, without a doubt, Van knew her better than anybody else ever could.

He knew about her ancient troll collection for God's sake.

And he'd even made her forget about what she'd been thinking befo—

_Oh I did not just do that._

_No._

"_**Tell me what you want..."**_

_Nononononono!!!_

Her ears burned with the heated memory of his voice.

"So are you going to tell me?"

Hitomi groaned inwardly.

"It's not a guy!" She replied quickly, leaning back and away from him as if he might singe her, away from his warmth and his scent and his—

Van seemed to notice her sudden discomfort, and his smile fell once more.

"Whatever." He leant back himself, pretending to be nonchalant even though it was obvious he was anything but satisfied. He reached for his glass.

"So you lost your job." He said quietly, regarding her over the top of it before he drank, "Is Dornkirk going bust?"

Hitomi picked up her own glass, considering the slight change of subject and eyeing the red liquid for a moment, "Does it matter?"

Van regarded her at length, "I suppose not." He conceded eventually, replacing the glass, "I just imagined you to be slightly more thankful, that's all."

Hitomi blinked.

"E-Excuse me?" She asked, not quite believing she'd heard him correctly, "Did you just say I should be more _thankful _for losing my job?"

"More thankful for Dornkirk giving you this chance, yes."

Hitomi blinked several times, "How on earth does that make any sense?"

To her exasperation, Van only smiled slightly before picking up his wineglass again, "Think about it."

She frowned.

"It simply eludes me how someone who appreciates their job as much as you do could say this to me."

Van put his lower lip to the rim of the glass, his eyes dark as they roamed her face, his mouth twisting in a familiar, roguish grin.

"Want to come and work for me?"

Hitomi's eyes widened.

_What?!_

"Wh—?!"

"Monsieur Fanel, would you like to order?" The waitress had returned, her impeccably bad timing surely a practised art.

Van didn't take his gaze from Hitomi, "No, thank you. We'll just take the check and go."

The woman nodded and scurried away.

"We'll just take the check and go?" Hitomi mimicked confusedly, momentarily forgetting the insane proposition mentioned several seconds previously, "Go where? We only just got here!"

Van glanced at his watch briefly, "I'm taking you home." He stated, getting up, "It's late and you have work tomorrow."

Hitomi stared at him incredulously.

"But— I'm not going to work for you!"

"Oh, I think you'll find you are," He took his jacket off the back of the chair, draping it over his forearm, "Where else are you going to find work after losing every one of your cases this year?"

Her mouth formed in indignant "O".

"Well certainly not from the establishment that ensured such apparent and overwhelming failure on my part!" Standing up quickly herself, she snatched her coat up and looked down at the floor in a hasty search for her bag, "And you—"

"You look beautiful tonight, did I tell you that?"

His voice, low and soft and suddenly aggravatingly seductive, made her look up.

And the familiar look in his eyes, the one she had spent all night trying to erase from her traitorous memory, made her forget what she'd been so angry about; it made her shiver.

And she hated how he knew that.

"N-No, you didn't."

He regarded her, his expression pensive and serious, for a long moment.

And then he ruined it by smiling in…well, an annoyingly playful fashion.

"Well now that I've told you, are you more likely to come and work for me?"

Hitomi scowled, picked up her bag from the floor and hit him with it over the table in a remarkably swift movement. She turned from him, rolling her eyes as she made her way to the door.

"No?" Came his amused voice from behind her.

"No," She said to herself, pushing open the door and relishing the gust of cold air that cooled her senses slightly, "I'm just more likely to fall in love with you again."

-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o-o8o

They didn't talk at all on the drive back.

And there was no conversation as Van accompanied her in the elevator to her apartment, aside from Hitomi's proclamation that the action was completely unnecessary.

So when they stopped outside her door, Hitomi assumed there would be a brief and semi-awkward goodbye and that would be it.

Not the case.

Sighing, she attempted to initiate the proceedings.

"So—"

"You're not inviting me in?" Van asked expectantly, leaning his shoulder on the doorframe beside her and feigning disappointed surprise.

Hitomi frowned.

"Do you really think that's—"

"Polite? Why no, I don't." He cut in, smiling lop-sidedly at her, "Especially after I so graciously took you out for dinner."

Hitomi took the door key out of her purse, "If I remember correctly, you were too stingy to actually purchase any food."

"And you hold that against me?"

"Yes."

Van chuckled; a wonderful, warm sound.

"Fine," He said eventually, running a hand through his hair in a manner Hitomi had always found strangely attractive, "but I expect you to bring me a coffee tomorrow morning in apology when you come to my office at eight o'clock."

Turning to the door, Hitomi shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I'm not working for _F & F_, Van. It goes against every one of my morals and makes me—"

"Rich? Popular? Eternally grateful because you get to see me every day?"

_No, you misunderstand. That's the reason I DON'T want to work there. _

"Van—"

"No, listen." He said, his voice turning slightly more serious, "I know you're a great lawyer, and that's how I _know _you can be so much more than you are now. Please, Hitomi."

Hitomi sighed and shook her head.

"But—"

"No 'buts'." Van reached across and tilted her face towards him, his finger underneath her chin, "I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." He said quietly, smiling wickedly again.

Hitomi swallowed.

Her gaze dropped to that smile…

…to those lips.

"I just…"

Van leaned in closer, much to her dismay, "Oh come on, what can I do to convince you it's the right choice?"

_You could kiss me senseless._

_Wait, where did THAT come from!?_

"You could stop bugging me and let me go to bed." She managed quietly, wanting to move away, _knowing _she should just move away and yet…not being able to.

"Too easy." He stated, moving closer, "Something else."

She felt a blush creep to her cheeks.

"Van…" She laughed timidly, her gaze darting to the floor, "you're making me nervous…"

He gave her one of her favourite, roguish grins.

"That was not my intent." He said, his voice velvet smooth.

Hitomi swallowed again.

And asked him a very, very stupid question.

"Then what was your intent?" She caught his eyes.

They widened slightly at her words before settling again, heavy lidded and beautifully shadowed.

Van ran a thumb over her lips softly.

"This." He breathed, before closing the remaining distance between them.

_Oh God._

And she realised then that her memories had done Van's lips absolutely no justice.

They moved over hers slowly, gently, taking them over and over in soft demand and wicked skill, and making her head rush at the thought of everywhere else they had touched her. Van wrapped his other arm around her, bringing her body into contact with his own, solid one; bringing heat together with heat and igniting a fire within both of them that a year had barely smothered.

"God," He whispered heatedly against her lips as they broke apart, "I've wanted to do that all day."

Hitomi tried to calm the rapid beating of her heart. She couldn't seem to form a coherent thought.

"Van, I…"

He brushed his lips over hers, "Don't tell me to stop…" He breathed, "Don't…"

She responded helplessly, gasping once and then twice as he took her mouth again, this time less gently, and in a manner that practically made her swoon with longing. She felt herself melting into him, felt herself answering his luscious kisses with her own, exploring the silken heat of his mouth, weaving her fingers through his thick, ebony hair.

Holding her waist with both hands, Van brought her back against the door softly, kissing her soundly as he did so. She felt him smile as they pulled apart slightly.

"This brings back memories." He whispered, his voice slightly rougher than before.

Hitomi swallowed, leaning her head back against the door with a light 'thunk'.

"I thought we decided to erase those memories…" She said quietly, her gaze darting to his parted lips.

Van's smile widened.

"Hypocrite." He stated, sliding his hands up her sides lightly, "You've been thinking about it all night."

She blinked.

"Wha—"

"It was obvious, Hitomi." He brought his mouth next to her ear, grazing the rim, "Don't deny it. Your blushes told me everything," His hands wandered further, "your eyes went dark," and further upwards, "you shivered."

She shivered then, when he touched her.

"Van…" She breathed unsteadily, her hands clenching in his hair.

His mouth moved back to hers again, "I was thinking about it too." He stated calmly, "I was thinking about how the memory just wasn't enough anymore."

Hitomi's breath caught in her throat as she processed his words. And for the first time since he'd started kissing her, she found some ounce of sense.

She pulled back, "You…no, Van, we can't."

"Yes, we can." He tried to kiss her again, but she turned her face away, causing his lips to run a searing path along her cheek.

"Not if we're going to be working together." She regarded the key she'd dropped at her feet, "It would be too—"

"So you _are_ coming tomorrow then." He spoke against the skin of her cheek, slowly moving his mouth downwards towards her neck. He made an amused noise, "Now I know what to do whenever I need convince you to do something."

Hitomi couldn't help but laugh slightly.

Van ran his lips along her jaw, "So are you letting me in or not?"

Fighting the urge to shudder helplessly in his embrace, Hitomi turned her head back to him, sliding her hands from behind his neck to rest on his chest.

"Not." She said quietly.

Van looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

And after a few seconds, he sighed in defeat and rested his forehead against hers.

"You're killing me." He said, and in a way that made her believe him, "Truly, you are."

Hitomi frowned, "I'm sorry."

After breathing deeply in order to gain some semblance of control, Van stepped away from her, his hands leaving her with obvious reluctance.

"Tomorrow morning," He said eventually, watching her through heavy eyes, "you'd better bring me a double espresso."

Hitomi bent to pick up the key lying by her feet, wanting to avoid his gaze, "And why is that?"

She straightened to see him smile slightly, "Because I certainly won't be sleeping tonight."

And, after running a hand through his thoroughly dishevelled hair, he turned and went, shaking his head as he did so.

Hitomi watched him turn the corner without looking back.

And once he'd disappeared from sight, she leant back on the door, closing her eyes.

"Me neither."

* * *

**Right...**

**Well, my apologies for the rather long time it took you to read this chapter, because now you're blatantly thinking "Well...that's ten minutes of my life I'll never get back." **

**If, by any chance though, you have read it AND enjoyed it slightly, do leave a review - they make me a much happier person!**

**Next chapter soon :D  
**


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